The Q Gambit.

Star Trek Ongoing has finally made it to the five year mission and their first experience is completely unexpected when an “Old Friend” from the prime universe shows up and it’s Q. What happens next sends the Enterprise to Terok Nor and mixes the crew with some of our favorite characters from Deep Space Nine.

In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushing and Dan Gunther talk about The Q Gambit series, walking through each issue, discussing the plot and whether or not this crossover works.

In the news segment we ponder the news from Margaret Clark about this year’s novel releases and the light she shed on them. We then move to the new issue of the Trek/Apes event to see if the story line has improved, rounding out with a look at John Byrne’s latest New Visions comic staring everyone’s favorite scoundrel, Harry Mudd.

Captain's Glory. We discuss Kirk's tendency to go it alone, the plot against Starfleet, Kirk vs. Picard, the nature of the Totality, the connection to the galactic barrier, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

Dayton Ward: Drastic Measures. We talk about the Tarsus IV massacre, mirror Lorca vs. prime Lorca, the fate of Governor Kodos, other characters who were at Tarsus IV, the book within the book, a surprise "after the credits" chapter you might have missed, and wrap up with what Dayton is working on now and where to find him online.

Spock's World. We discuss the two tracks the story follows, the nature of Vulcans, a series of Vulcan TED talks, the diversity of the Enterprise crew, the Enterprise's BBS, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

Captain's Blood. We talk about Spock's apparent death, Reman society, Kirk's son Joseph, the threat of the Totality, crews of different generations coming together, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

David R. George III: The 34th Rule. We talk about the genesis of the story, the Ferengi belief system, politics, racism towards the Ferengi, the cycle of violence, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings and where you can find David R. George III online.

The Gold Key Archives Vol. 4, Part 2. We discuss the mysterious "black hole" phenomenon in "Siege in Superspace," a planet full of kids playing a deadly game in "Child's Play," and Kirk's shocking transformation in "The Trial of Captain Kirk!"

Captain's Peril. We discuss the murder mystery plot, philosophical differences between Kirk, Spock, and Picard, different ideas about risk, the Prime Directive debate, the huge left turn the story takes at the end, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

The Final Reflection. We talk about a truly alien culture, the differences between the Klingons in The Final Reflection and Trek canon since, the Perpetual Game, the Federation's duplicity, the novel within the novel, the inspiration that The Final Reflection provided to the creators of Star Trek: Discovery, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

The Gold Key Archives Volume 4. We talk about troubling behavior by Kirk in "The Haunted Asteroid," a spoiled rotten prince whom everyone wants to murder in "A World Gone MAD," and an ancient mystery that threatens to turn the Enterprise crew into cyborgs in "The Mummies of Heitius VII!"

Prometheus: Fire with Fire. We discuss the first original German language Star Trek novel and its translation, the Prometheus and its unique abilities, the terrorism allegory, the book's relation to the on-going Pocket Books novel continuity, the role of the Klingons, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

David Mack: Fortune of War. We talk about the links to TNG's "The Survivors," the Husnock, Admiral Riker's new role, the characters of Titan, "The Chase" on speed, and wrap up with what David Mack has on the go for future novels and where you can find him online.

Paula M. Block & Terry J. Erdmann: I, The Constable. We talk about the inspiration for the story, the research they did to capture the noir feel, changes in the society of Ferenginar, the voices of the characters both old and new, Quark's seemingly newfound generosity, some fun references, and wrap up with where you can find Paula and Terry online.

A Stitch in Time. We talk about Garak's history, growing up on Cardassia Prime, the reason for his exile on Deep Space Nine, post-war Cardassia, The Oralian Way, the reliability of Garak's account of his life, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

Echoes. We talk about the plot of the novel, the unique perspective of the story's events, the dreaded Voyager reset button, Tuvok's role in the story, the crews' doppelgangers, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

David A. Goodman: The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard. We talk about Picard's early years, his time aboard the U.S.S. Stargazer, his relationship with numerous figures throughout his life, the context that this book adds to The Next Generation, a surprising Star Trek: Discovery connection, and wrap up by discussing The Orville.

Ethan Siegel: Treknology. We talk about a number of technologies covered in the book, the process of writing it, the influence Star Trek has had on our collective imaginations and the technology of modern society, where our technologies may go in the future, and wrap up with where you can find Dr. Siegel online.

David R. George III: Original Sin. We discuss the two stories told in tandem, the character of Jasmine Tey, crime drama as Star Trek story, the nature of Rebecca Sisko, a completely alien encounter, the possibility of a Gamma series going forward, and where to follow David R. George III online.

Desperate Hours. We discuss the process of collaboration with Discovery's writers, Captain Pike's devotion to duty, Enterprise vs. Shenzhou, the Shenzhou's bridge crew, comparisons to the Vanguard series, Spock and Burnham, the look and feel of the universe, the book's non-canon status, and finish up with what David Mack has on the horizon.

Sarek. We discuss the setting, the bond between Sarek and Amanda, Klingon ambassador Kamarag, a timely topic of xenophobia, Kirk's nephew Peter, how Discovery's depiction of Sarek might compare, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

Mudd In Your Eye. We talk about silly reasons for war, transwarp beaming, the nature of death, another society run by computer, Stella Mudd, how we think Mudd might compare in this novel to his appearance in Star Trek: Discovery, and our ratings.

Scott Mantz: Star Trek Fotonovels. We discuss our fond memories of the '70s, Scott's favorite episode of all time, his collection of fotonovels, their influence on John Byrne's New Visions comics, and the interviews and glossaries found in the back of the books.

Q-Strike. We discuss the plot of the novel, a sad end to a family crisis, the Q family dynamic, the ending of the novel, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings for both this novel and the Q Continuum trilogy as a whole.

Dayton Ward: Travel Guide to The Klingon Empire. We discuss the research, where Dayton got his ideas, references, some great places for food and drink on Kronos, dos and don'ts while traveling in the Klingon Empire and what's next for Dayton.

Preserver. We discuss the nature of the Preservers, fate versus free will, duplicate Earths, secret groups within the Federation, the two Kirks, Teilani, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

Enigma Tales: Una McCormack. We discuss the plot, the characters, some historical touchstones that the story parallels, enigma tales, the state of Dr. Bashir, and wrap up with Una's upcoming projects and where you can find her online.

Shield of the Gods. We talk about Daiyar's scheme, character vs. plot, the Aegis Prime Directive, the Deltan concept of love, Ranjea's ultimate fate, the meaning of the title, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.

Q-Space. We talk about the Enterprise's mission to the galactic barrier, Q's vulnerability, the cliffhanger ending of the novel, some fun bits in the story, and wrap up with our final thoughts and ratings.